


to learn from the best

by problematiquefave



Series: AUgust 2020 [2]
Category: Xena: Warrior Princess
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Past Gabrielle/Perdicas, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:00:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25674733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/problematiquefave/pseuds/problematiquefave
Summary: After completing her general education courses in Potedia, Gabrielle is excited to finally attend the University of Athens in person. Or she is, until she realizes the professor of her art history elective is the same Xena she'd previously hooked up with.
Relationships: Gabrielle/Xena
Series: AUgust 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859875
Kudos: 39
Collections: AUgust 2020





	to learn from the best

Gabrielle’s face scrunches up in pain as her bag hits the back of her knees, heavy with sharp-edged books that dig into her through multiple layers of fabric. She fumbles with the strap as she all but runs to her next class; relief only comes when she shrugs the bag off her shoulder and takes her seat.

She didn’t mean to cut it so close on her first day. After being enraptured in her morning class on Romanticism, a classmate had invited her to one of the quieter campus cafes to go over notes and start on the chapter the professor had assigned. Immersed in studying, she didn’t notice the minutes ticking by until her phone went off – a warning she had fifteen minutes to scramble across campus to the class she was taking for her fine arts elective.

Taught by a professor Nelopoulos, her eyes had immediately been drawn to the course description as she went over the options her adviser had provided for her. The class was about examining ancient Greek weaponry as art. Compared to her other options, it seemed the most relevant to her creative writing major and swords interested her more than baroque.

Making it with barely a minute to spare, she’s pulling her supplies out and placing them on her desk when the other students’ chatter fades into a hush. Gabrielle’s blue eyes flick up from her desk, landing on the professor at the front of the room. Her back is to the class, writing on the chalkboard in large, looping letter. She leans forward in her seat, resting her forearms on her desk and clasping her hands together. The professor sets the chalk down and turns to face the class.

It takes everything in Gabrielle’s power to keep her jaw shut.

She knows professor Nelopoulos.

She had _slept_ with professor Nelopoulos.

It was shortly after moving to Athens. Having spent her whole life in the same, small village in northern Greece, she’d been excited to explore the city. She’d never gone somewhere with a population larger than two-thousand people. Her roommates, amused by her naïve excitement, directed her to some of their favorite places – restaurants, an artisanal gelato shop, some boutiques, and even a night club. She’d been most hesitant about the night club having never been to one. Her father had forbidden her going to clubs or bars, but she was no longer under his thumb. When her roommates invited her to join them, she did.

The loud music left her ears ringing for days afterwards. Her eyes watered against the artificial smoke; her throat burned because of the shot her roommates offered her. The lights, brightly colored and quickly moving, strained her eyes. Overwhelming was an understatement, but she was too high on adrenaline to be bogged down.

She’d spotted the dark-haired woman at the bar as she got another round of drinks for her group – a coke for her, cocktails for her roommates. Waiting for the drinks to be made, she took a seat next to her. It was the boldest, brashest thing she’d ever done. She’d never initiated anything, certainly not with a woman. Hell, she’d only come to terms with her sexuality recently.

Her name was Xena and her eyes were the most beautiful she’d even seen. There wasn’t a whole lot of talking before Xena paid her tab and Gabrielle gave her roommates a heads up she wouldn’t be back tonight. They went to her apartment; despite the Spartan aesthetic, her mattress was divinely comfortable. In the morning, Xena offered her breakfast and that had been that. She’d mentioned teaching and Gabrielle had mentioned recently moving to the city, but nothing in their brief time had prepared her for this.

“Can I talk to you?” Gabrielle asks. Her eyes are wide, filled with urgency as she stands at Xena’s desk. The professor’s lips press together but her expression is otherwise unreadable.

“Office hours aren’t usually at this time but”—she glances around; even in the harsh light of the classroom, her eyes are still as a piercing—“I have some free time.” She gestures with her head. “Follow me.”

Gabrielle does, gritting her teeth as her stomach twists and turns. Her office isn’t far from the classroom; it’s messier than her apartment, with books and papers strewn about. On the wall is a glass case with an antique-looking sword. Xena takes a seat in her chair. Gabrielle lingers beside the one reserved for students.

“I—” Xena starts then stops, her lips pressing together as she stares at her desk. “I wasn’t aware you were a student.” She looks up. “I thought you were older.”

Gabrielle’s heart thuds painfully against her ribcage. “I am—both, that is. I got a late start.”

After finishing secondary school, her father refused to let her go to university even though she’d achieved the grades for it. He expected her to marry Perdicas and start a family by twenty. She had tried, but even the thought of marriage would send cold shivers down her spine. Perdicas noticed her trepidation and made excuses for her; he wanted to finish his apprenticeship and get established in his career first. But with each year that passed without talk of marriage, the pressure increased. Eventually she confessed to Perdicas that she didn’t want to get married – that she wanted to leave Potedia and go to college. He helped her enroll in online classes. Her confidence had blossomed by the time she finished her general education courses. After being accepted into the University of Athens, she secured her documents and a place to live before informing her family. Perdicas stepped in when her father threatened her.

Xena thrums her fingers against the desk. “Well…” She draws in a deep breath before leaning forward in her chair, clasping her hands together on her desk. “While I should have you drop this class, if you feel”—she pauses, seemingly unable to form the words to describe their situation—“ _this_ is something we can pretend never happened, you can stay.”

Gabrielle rushes to nod with more enthusiasm than necessary. “Of course! Won’t ever mention it – in fact, I’ll completely forget about it. Nothing happened, never met you before today.”

Xena’s lips twitch with a sardonic grin. “Then I believe this is settled. In the future, please only approach me during my office hours if you need help.” She gestures towards the door. “I have a meeting to get to soon.”

“Yes, yes, uh—” Her smile, more nervous than happy, is so wide it hurts her cheeks. “Thank you. Have a good day, professor.” She turns on her heel before Xena can say anything more and rushes from the office.

The first few weeks of classes are much like her first few weeks after moving. Riding high on the sense of novelty, she breezes through lectures and assignments. Then things begin to get harder. Lessons become more complex; assignments become more demanding. She copes well in most of her classes. Being older gives her more discipline and her passion shines through in every assignment. She got the scholarships she did for a reason, after all. However, there is one class she struggles in.

 _ARH 218 Examining Ancient Weaponry as Art_. Xena’s course.

The thing is, she’s a creative writing major. If she had taken one of those classes on baroque or modern design, she wouldn’t have fared better in them. She’d already taken a 100-level Fine Arts course online, but the 200-level required more of her. She works with other students in the class and it helps – her grades on those assignments are better than the ones she does on her own. Some might be fine with the grades she gets on either, but she isn’t. She wants more. She _needs_ more.

The answer to her dilemma is simple. _Go to the professor_. Yet, Gabrielle resists all suggestion of it – from herself and from her friends. The last thing she wants is to cross a line on top of her mediocre grades.

After her mid-term though, she doesn’t have much of a choice.

_Gabrielle,_

_I would like to see you during office hours soon. Please schedule a meeting sometime this week. I’ve included a link to my calendar so you can._

_Sincerely,  
Prof. X. Nelopoulos_

“I don’t know what to do!” she stresses into the phone. Sitting on her bed, room bathed in a warm lamp light, she plays with the wrinkles of her sheets as she holds the phone to her ear.

Slightly tinny from the connection, Perdicas responds. “Make an appointment?”

“But— _You know_.”

“Isn’t acting like it never happened part of _pretending_ it never happened?” he asks. “When a student is struggling with the material, they ask the professor for help. You’re a struggling student.”

She purses her lips in a frown, opting for silence when she can’t find a witty retort.

“Look, your degree is what matters. It’s too late to drop and you don’t want a failure on your record. Besides—”

“I probably _would_ fail,” she mutters.

“ _Besides_ , it seems like she wants to help you. You’d just make it more awkward if you ignored her.”

She sighs, long and suffering and a little dramatized. “Why are you right?”

“Because I am.” She can hear his chuckle over the connection. “Look, get you laptop, schedule the meeting, and then get back to studying or whatever. I need to get bed but I’m not hanging up ‘til you figure this out.”

“Alright, alright. I’m putting you on speaker.” Hitting the button, she places her phone on the bed before reaching for her laptop on the nightstand. A joint in her spine pops. She places it next to her phone and opens it, waiting as it wakes up. “I’ve got the laptop and I’m logging in.”

She hears a muffled yawn, followed by, “Good.”

She navigates to her school her email, types in her password, and finds the email Xena had sent earlier that day. She clicked the link which loads her calendar. Finding an open spot on Wednesday that doesn’t conflict with her classes, she signs her name to it. “And done. You can sleep now.”

“Thank the Gods,” he mutters. “Don’t stay up too late. Got to keep your mind sharp if you’re going to bring that grade up.”

“I won’t. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” he replies.

She drops her phone when the connection goes dead, staring blankly at the calendar still open on her screen. She has two days to settle the nerves in her stomach.

_Prof. Nelopoulos,_

_Thank you for reaching out. I’ve scheduled a meeting for Wednesday at 2pm._

_Sincerely,  
Gabrielle Herodopoulos_

“Gabrielle,” Xena says as she opens the door. Her name rolls smoothly off the professor’s tongue and she’s reminded of another way it was once said. Those are _bad thoughts_ that she shoos away. “I’m glad you got my email.” She motions for Gabrielle to take a seat across the desk.

Once she’s seated, Xena continues. “While I don’t usually reach out to struggling students, I know you received some grade-based aid for your living expenses. I wanted to make sure you weren’t avoiding getting help because of our past.”

Swallowing past a lump in her throat, Gabrielle looks down at her hands in her lap. “I—I was afraid of crossing a line.”

That doesn’t seem to surprise the professor. “You are a student in my class. It’s my responsibility to treat you as I would any other – not more favorably but not less so either.” She leans forward in her chair, shaking her mouse to stir her computer to life. “While I can’t let you retake the mid-term, I prepared an extra credit assignment that should help you recover your grade so long as you turn your performance around on your other work. Which means”—she looks away from the screen, pinning Gabrielle with those sharp blue eyes—“coming to me when you need help.”

Gratitude should be her immediate reaction, but is she really Gabrielle if she doesn’t open her mouth and insert her foot? “Isn’t that favoritism?”

Xena cocks a brow. “No. It’s a correction to the means since you previously felt unable to approach me.”

She nods. “Alright then—what’s the assignment?”

Lips twitching upwards, Xena swivels the screen to face her and launches into an explanation of what Gabrielle needs to do.

The second half of the term is smooth sailing in comparison to first. Although the extra credit project is a challenge and she doesn’t grasp all of the class material, she’s now comfortable going to Xena to ask questions. Almost every Wednesday at that 2’o’clock spot, she’s sitting in the chair across from Xena going over the questions she has and the research she’s done for her project. Her professor watches her enthusiasm with the ghost of a grin, a twinkle in her piercing eyes that makes Gabrielle’s stomach flutter in a good way.

Well, maybe not a good way. They’re still student and professor – completely and absolutely off-limits – but it’s easier to deal with a crush than crippling anxiety.

In the end, she finishes _Examining Ancient Weaponry as Art_ with an 8.78; while the lowest of her grades, it’s firmly in the _excellent_ category. There’s no question that she’ll keep her scholarship.

Perdicas comes down from Potedia and they go out with her roommates to celebrate. One of her roommate’s is also celebrating a successful term of her graduate degree; the other jokes that she’s just along for the drinks. They get dinner at somewhere fancy and then head to the night club her roommates introduced her to all those months ago. She stifles a chuckle when they enter and Perdicas stops in his tracks, awestruck by the chaos. Sure, there were bars back in their small, corner of the world, but their primary demographic was middle-aged drunks bitter at their lot in life.

They take a seat at a booth after getting drinks, her roommates launching into an interrogation of Perdicas – they pepper him with questions about their shared history and life back in Potedia. Hiding her laughs behind sips of her drink, she’s the first to finish her glass. They wave her off when she tells them she’s going to get another drink.

Like so many months ago, as she waits for the bartender fill her order, she spots a tall woman with a head of dark-hair sitting towards the end of the bar.

“Xena?”

Those piercing eyes meet her. “Gabrielle.” Her lips twitch upwards. “Guess I shouldn’t be surprised to see you.”

“Probably not,” she says sheepishly. “I don’t usually go out without my roommates and this is their favorite place.”

She nods. “I prefer it because it’s far enough from campus that students don’t come here. _Normally._ ”

Gabrielle bites her lip to hide her grin, glancing at her feet. She quickly looks back up when the bartender calls her attention, setting her drink on the counter. She takes it with a “Thanks,” and turns to Xena. The other woman motions to the empty stool beside her.

“Sit.”

Gabrielle does. “Um, I know I’ve already thanked you a lot for your help but”—her throat is dry as she swallows her nerves—“thank you, again.”

“You did the work once you felt comfortable asking questions,” she says, shrugging. “You’re bright and clever – even had a few good jokes in that final paper.” Feeling her cheeks heat as Xena takes a sip of her drink, Gabrielle is grateful that the dim, blue-hued lighting washes her out. “How long do you have until graduation?”

“Probably another year or so. I got a lot of classes taken care of online before I transferred so most of what I need to do know is degree-specific,” she answers. “And I’m trying to take a full course load each term.”

“You’ve got the energy for it.”

Gabrielle snorts. “I’ve just—I’ve wanted this for a while now. I’m not going to half-ass it.”

“I noticed. That mix of dedication and enthusiasm is rare; nurture it and you’ll go far.” Xena takes a small sip, pulling the glass away and shaking the ice at the bottom. She sets it down with a sigh. _Empty_.

Gabrielle hesitates only for a second. “Can I get you a drink?”

Xena raises an eyebrow at her, amusement etched into her features. She turns away from Gabrielle, grabbing a pen sitting on the edge of the bar. “Give me your arm,” she says, facing her again.

Blinking, Gabrielle holds her arm out. Xena uncaps the pen and grabs her arm, steadying it as she inks something into her skin. Setting the pen back down, she grabs the jacket off the back of her chair and stands.

“Give me a call when you graduate. _I_ will buy you a drink then.”

Xena starts to walk away but Gabrielle stops her. “Promise?”

“I promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> excuse me for any liberties i've taken with higher education in greece.
> 
> comments and kudos are always appreciated.
> 
> [my tumblr.](https://problematiquefics.tumblr.com/)


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